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ach year over 20 million visitor’s travel to Mexico, which ranks it 9th in the world in total tourism. Since 1987 Youth With A Mission has hosted more than 100,000 participants in Northern Baja, Mexico. None of our participants, groups or staff has experienced any incidents of violent crime. We credit God’s mercy and grace and some good sound operating principles we have in place as being the key reasons for our longstanding safety record.
Over the past few years the city of Ensenada has experienced no unrest or incidents of violence. The city of Tijuana has experienced some violence but it has been gang on gang or police and gang incidents. Our new campus is located in Baja Malibu a small beach community just north of Rosirito. There are over 100,000 U.S. and Canadian residents that live along the coast of the Northern Baja and this is where both our facilities are located.
Our Operational Principles
- Group based, not individual based: Everything we do is done as a group. We travel and work in groups. At no time are people sent alone to do anything in Mexico.
- Staff participation: Each group has one or more YWAM staff members with them at all times. We are a full-service missions group and provide general setup and supervision of all our teams and groups. We presently have a staff in excess of 100 people who work to serve the visiting groups.
- Communications: YWAM staff has Nextel radios and/or cell phones so we are able to have ongoing communications as needed while working in Mexico.
- Local Knowledge: YWAM and its visiting teams do not work independently of the communities in which we serve. Any areas which may be considered to be possibly unsafe are avoided. We work together with local pastors and community leaders who know their communities well. Our teams are very well received, and we have even won a variety of awards from the Mayors of both Tijuana and Ensenada in appreciation of our work with the poor.
- Hours of Operation: Our work takes place primarily in daylight hours. Normally all of our activities are completed with people back in their rooms by 10pm. We also employ night watchmen at both our Tijuana and Ensenada Centers.
Summary
We appreciate the trust that is extended to us every time a group joins us in serving the poor and needy in Mexico, and we work hard to make sure that our trips are as well run and safe as possible. Please feel free to contact our group registration office if you have any additional questions, and we will be happy to assist in any way that we can.
